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The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an “attempted murder” investigation over the potential poisoning of three police officers, including one of the lead investigators into the Qatargate corruption probe.
“We can inform you that a complaint has been filed for attempted murder. In the interest of the investigation, we cannot comment further on this matter,” the prosecutor’s office told POLITICO on Thursday.
Last month, police detained the three officers after they caused a major disturbance at a bar in central Brussels where alcohol was consumed and the officers brawled with cops, according to several Belgian media reports.
During the night of the arrest, one of the officers was hospitalized due to internal bleeding and underwent abdominal surgery. Blood tests revealed that he had a high dose of amphetamine in his blood, Belgian media Het Laatste Nieuws reported Thursday.
A law enforcement official, who was granted anonymity to speak openly about the confidential issue, told POLITICO that police will soon test hair samples of the other officers to check for traces of the drug.
One of the people involved — a chief inspector at the Central Office for the Suppression of Corruption (OCRC) who is on the Qatargate beat, according to three law enforcement officials — has filed a complaint for attempted murder by poisoning, the officials said.
The Qatargate scandal is a long-running probe by police and prosecutors into allegations of corruption at the heart of the European Parliament, involving attempts to gain influence by countries including Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania. Each of the countries has repeatedly denied the allegations.
